


Valdo the reluctant hero

by TinyThoughts



Category: The Witcher, Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Hidden Feelings, Hurt Jaskier | Dandelion, I wrote this in under an hour, I'll have you know Valdo is the hero here, Jaskier knows, M/M, Oxenfurt (The Witcher), Short One Shot, and Valdo is a freaking saint for opening his doors, because they are actually mortal enemies, bur reluctantly, but there is nothing wrong with looking, i dont know, no beta we live in Valdos strong denial, please enjoy, prompt, valdo helps, valdo is secretly soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:55:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28056489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyThoughts/pseuds/TinyThoughts
Summary: He did not expect Julian Alfred Fucking Pankratz leaning against his doorframe. Valdo feels his jaw drop somewhere around his knees, because what the actual fruit basket with onions inside is he doing here.“What…?” is all that he manages to say before Julian looks up to him. And Valdo actually takes a look at him. Julians lip is bleeding, he is red and swollen just under his right eye and he is clutching a hand to his ribs.“Please.” Julian wheezes out. “I didn’t know where to go.”
Relationships: Jaskier | Dandelion/Valdo Marx
Comments: 16
Kudos: 95





	Valdo the reluctant hero

**Author's Note:**

  * For [endrega_Turtlesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/endrega_Turtlesse/gifts).



> I don't know what to say.  
> The prompt is basically the summary, and I took it and... I don't know. It took me around 2h to write, and I had so much fun. I never used Valdo as a main before, or even as a good-ish guy?  
> well!   
> Please enjoy!

Someone knocks hard on his door.

It sounds more like desperate slapping, open palm against the wood. Valdo rolls his eyes, why the fuck would anybody come around at this hour?

He puts down his book and pulls his feet down from the stool he rested them on. Damn, this was supposed to be his night off.

More slapping on the door and an irritated sigh falls from his lips.

“Coming, I'm coming!” He shouts towards the door and slowly makes his way there.

He really doesn’t want to.

That kind of knocking doesn’t indicate a lady visit, or anything pleasurable at all.

Dragging his feet behind him he walks over the plush carpet. Ugh. So annoying.   
And it’s so late already. He just wants to sit alone, not talking to anybody, just he, himself and his hand.

He did not expect Julian Alfred _Fucking_ Pankratz leaning against his doorframe.

Valdo feels his jaw drop somewhere around his knees, because what the actual fruit basket with onions inside is he doing here.

“What…?” is all that he manages to say before Julian looks up to him.

And Valdo actually takes a look at him.

Julians lip is bleeding, he is red and swollen just under his right eye and he is clutching a hand to his ribs. The eggshell colored tunic he is wearing is filthy, stained with mud and what looks like more blood. His eyes, normally so sharp and cutting, are dazed.

“Please.” Julian wheezes out. “I didn’t know where to go.”

There is a commotion somewhere in the city, shouting men and clamping feet.

Valdo doesn’t even think, he pulls Julian in by the elbow and closes the door. Locks it and pulls the curtains.

Then he whirls around and stares at the other bard.

“Why in Meliteles name are you here?!” He hisses at Julian, who only moved to lean against his wall.   
And no, that just won’t do. He is going to stain the wallpaper.

So Valdo grabs Julians elbow again, not braving to touch any other part of the filthy and possibly more hurt bard than necessary.

Valdo drags him deeper into his home, up the stairs to the second floor where he can put Julian in one of the guest rooms.

Yes, Valdo has guestrooms. He is a popular man, actually, thank you very much.

Only, halfway up the stairs, Julians knees buckle and Valdo have to put an arm under his shoulder so that he won’t fall all the way down again.   
Ugh, such a pain.

So he half drags, half shoves Julian up the stairs. His body is warm against his, too warm. Something is obviously not right here.

“What the hell did you do this time, Pankratz?”

And why did he come _here_? Out of all the places in Oxenfurt, why did he come here?

They are not friends? One might even go as far as to say they hate each other.   
A bit. Officially at least.   
Bitter rivals you know. It sells well.

“I’m not sure.” Julian mumbles against Valdos shoulder, head moving around with the motion, as if he can’t really control his muscles.

“Did they drug you?!” Valdo accuses, as if it was his fault. J

ulian just gives noncommittal hum, he has been spending far too much time with that witcher lately.

Valdo kicks open the door to the guest room and shoves Julian onto the bed.

In any other circumstance it would have been hot. Now Valdo is just royally pissed.

They better not find him here and drag Valdo into this mess, whatever it is.

As soon as Julian made contact with the mattress, he is out.

Valdo sighs and drags his fingers through his hair. This is not how he expected the night to go.

On the street outside, Valdo can hear the shouts and stomps of the men likely chasing Julian.   
They run right past his house, so either they don’t know that he lives her ( _insulting_ ) or they know and deem it unlikely for Julian to seek shelter here.

Valdo gives the man on the bed another long, judging look and goes to fetch a basin of water.

Does he have any spare linen somewhere? Something to clean up that face with so that he doesn’t dirty the bed.   
Those bed covers were expensive.

When he returns Julian hasn't moved an inch.   
He lays on his back with one arm around his ribs, the other one flung to the side in a dramatic pose.

Valdo sits down next to him on the bed, awkwardly dabs his face with the rag he found.

There are no open wounds so it should be fine.

Softly he wash away the blood on Julians lip.

It is soft, red and swollen, a small line where the skin cracked.

Valdo doesn’t let himself look too closely, because he is a man of standards you know.

He has absolutely not spent any time what so ever thinking about that mouth or that sharp tongue with it.

Then he dabs at the cheek. It’s already darkening, angry red shifting into a darker purple just over his cheekbone.  
It looks painful, so he rinses the rag and tries to be as careful as possible.

Wait.

Why does it matter if he is careful or not? He doesn’t care!

So on the other ( _unhurt_ ) cheek he simply rubs the rag around.

There. Perfect. Bed cover is safe. Somewhat.

But that tunic looks rather horrible.

No, this cannot stand. Putting water and rag aside, he shifts so that he can move Julians body around.

Gently he grips Julians hand that was against his ribs, and moves it so that he can unlace the tunic.

Wait.

No, Valdo doesn’t need to be gentle. It’s fine. This is not a friend.   
(But his hand was very warm and very soft. ( _Brain! Be quiet!!_ ))

Unlacing tunics always was his favorite part when undressing a partner. There is something sensual in bit by bit revealing the skin hidden underneath.   
Half of Julian's hairy chest is revealed when Valdo catches himself smiling.

Ah. Fuck. Oh well.

If he is doing this, why not as well enjoy the show.

Julian, unlike many other bards at the university, hasn’t let himself go (yet) and his waist is slim and alluring.   
They both know he looks good, so what if he gets an eyeful as he does a good deed?

He coaxes Julians arms out of the tunic and tries to pull it from under his back when Julian makes a pained sound.

Oh, right. Maybe he hurt his ribs?

Valdo has no idea what to do with any other injury than a split lip or a scraped knee, but he should be able to tell if he needs to call a healer. So Valdo drags a fingertip over Jaskiers side, trying to get a sense of the ribs, if anything feels out of place.

It doesn’t, so that’s something, probably?

Next is the boots. The boots can under no circumstance get on that bed.

It is when Valdo is kneeling and is trying to pull of the second boot that Julian returns to the land of the living.

He grunts, puts an elbow under himself and looks around.

“Geralt?” he asks, voice hoarse.

“Just me, little lark.” Valdo says mockingly and pulls off the other boot. He tosses it towards the other one with a satisfying thunk.

“Marx.” Julian says, and from the look upon his face Valdo would bet his hat that memories are flooding back. “Oh.”

“In the flesh.” Valdo stands up and makes a small bow. “Welcome to my humble home. Now, take those horrid trousers off, if you please. I don’t want to dirty the bed any further.”

At any other time, Julian would have made a dirty joke about it.

Something is absolutely wrong, because without further ado he wiggles out of his trousers. Valdo turns his back on him to give some privacy.

There is only so much one man should share with another when they are mortal enemies and all that.

“Would you mind telling me what made you seek out my fine company this evening?” Valdo asks the wall, listening to the rustling of fabric and movement.

“Someone broke into my room in the university.” Julian replies, his words still a little slurred. “I think they drugged my wine. And when they came in they….”

There is a silence, and Valdo risks a look over his shoulder.

Julian is sitting against the wall and has pulled up the blanket around his hips. He stares at his hands, gripping at the soft fabric, his brows furrowed.

Valdo turns around fully and sits at the end of the bed, putting a hand on Julians ankle in support.

“It’s a little fuzzy. But I remember being shoved out, punched to the ground. And then I ran, and they laughed.”

Julian looks up at him then, with his startlingly blue eyes.

“Thank you for opening the door.” Julian looks so sincere when he says it that Valdo thinks back on his reluctance with a hint of shame.

“Of course.” He says anyway.

“You were the only one who did.”

Oh. Oh shit.

“Don’t worry about it.” Valdo waves it away, but it sits heavy in his gut.

Either Valdo was the only one with a night off and bad enough sense to open the door at this hour, or the others saw him coming and decided not to open anyway.

“I’ll go fetch you something to drink. You can spend the night here, but I don’t want any trouble.”

Julian gives him a weak smile, and Valdo is struck with the urge to grab a pen and write.

“I’ll be gone as soon as I’m able.”

It turns out ‘as soon as I’m able’ is two days later.

A fever sets in when morning comes, and Valdo does his best, muttering all the while what a good person he is and what a bad person Julian is for putting him through this, and by the next midnight it has passed. Luckily.

He lends Julian one of his older tunics and pretends it doesn’t _do_ things to him. They spend hours bickering back and forth, but Julian keeps smiling at him.   
It’s unnerving.

When the third morning comes, Julian is well enough to limp home. Valdo follows him there, he insists there is no point in his generosity if Julian gets attacked immediately again.   
Another terrible smile later, another scribbled page with secret words, and they are off.

All is fine and things return to normal. They meet in the halls of nobility, they throw sharp words at each other. But every now and then, Julian sends a smile, and the ground Valdo have been standing so firmly on is slowly crumbling.

Valdo is never saving Julian ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on tumblr!  
> Im Dapandapod!


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